Alphys's Research Notes
by 348joey
Summary: Because "It's magic! We don't have to explain it!" is a stupid excuse. World-building for "The Only Reset".
1. The Effects of Monster Food

**Author's Note: I wanted to do some world-building for "The Only Reset" to explain how certain aspects of the game work in it. These topics will likely have no bearing on TOR's story and are not necessary to understand it, but they can give a little information if you want to know more about the world TOR is set in. It's similar to "Checklist" in that regard.**

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 **The Effects of Monster Food on Non-monster Individuals' Diets**

Since monsters are mostly made up of magic, their food is also comprised of magic. While this magic can heal magical wounds inflicted on a humans SOUL, it cannot provide proper sustenance for humans indefinitely. It provides the user with energy, but it does not replace dead cells in a human. As a result, a human will inevitably die if not provided with at least some carbon-based food. Nevertheless, due to not needing to burn glucose and the greatly increased longevity granted by certain cells entering stasis, the body can utilize monster food to survive many, many months without organic matter.

The longevity given to many cells in a human's body by monster food may, at least in part, be due to either the human's body and/or the magic in the food being able to recognize that certain cells are not needed while being sustained by magic. Typically short-lived cells in the digestive track enter a type of stasis while the body is "fed" magic, and the healing properties of the magic causes plasma and white blood cells to decrease in count but increase in average life span due to the relative lack of anomalous material in the bloodstream for it to fight off¹. The stasis itself is maintained by a portion of the magical essence consumed. Most plasma and white blood cells remain in the marrow during this magically induced cell stasis, and few new cells are produced. Hair, fingernails, and toenails mostly stop growing along with the epidermal and dermal skin layers. The magic from monster food can be stored in the body to a limited extent, depending on the size and age of the individual consuming it.

Note that as a result of some of these effects on human health, dependency can result after a body has been on a largely magic-based diet for extended periods of time. While there are no known psychological dependencies associated with monster food, a human that has been on a predominately magic-based diet for a significant period of time should be gradually weaned off magic and back on to physical food slowly over the course of a week or so to give it time to readjust to a normal diet. There have not been any recorded negative long-term effects associated with a person that has been on a largely magic-based diet and then reverted back to normal foods, though this may be a result of the short period of time that these phenomena have been under study.

Attempts to prolong human life via a magical diet are risky, as magically resistant or immune diseases are a major threat to persons with such low plasma and white blood cell counts. It also does not rejuvenate or place into stasis any neuron cells, and current technology already allows for most humans to survive up to the point where the brain starts to degrade. Magically-induced immortality is still not a reality or a feasible goal on normal humans. It is unknown what effects it may have on hybrid beings, as covered below.

Hybrid beings are relatively new and few in quantity. As such, only limited testing of the effects of monster food on them has been accomplished. Most trials are still on-going, but short-term data implies that the diet has a similar effect on hybrids as it does to humans, but to a greater degree. A hybrid could theoretically go years without physical food, but it's unknown what effect this may eventually have on their health long-term.

¹The magical healing will purge most bacterial and viral substances from the body with the exception of benign or magically resistant or immune agents.


	2. Magical Energy Traits and Virtues

**Magical Energy Traits and Virtues**

There are eight known variants of normal magic, each of which is usually ascribed a certain virtue based on the innate effects they have and/or how they synergize with each other.

It should be made clear that the virtues associated with each color of magic are entirely symbolic; an individual's personality is not based on what color soul they have or what type of magic they use. Although the type of magic a person uses does often correlate in some way to how they behave, this is more of an indirect effect that their environment induces rather than a direct causation. For example, people with green souls have a greater natural talent for green healing magic, but they're no more or less likely to be kind than any other individual except to the extent to which doctors and healers are more often kind.

Synergy is an effect that certain types of magic have on other specific types of magic. Magic can synergize in either a "positive" or "negative" manner. When magic synergizes positively, the effects of the magic are boosted by a degree. Negative synergy, on the other hand, dampens the effects of the majority magic. The magic itself is still able to 'flow' with any counterbalance it has. Negatively synergizing magic is not tainted or negated by opposing magic; the dampening effect only occurs when they are actually used together.

Lastly, for every virtue associated with a type of magic, there can also be a negative quality used to signify too much of a good thing.

White magic is pure magical energy. No human souls have this color innately, and white magic itself is _very_ toxic to them. White magic has a far smaller effect on monsters, which are already made of magic and thus can easily dissipate and absorb it into their bodies. Humans, on the other hand, can be significantly damaged by pure magic, and their physical bodies can't recover from overexposure the same way monsters can. Monsters did not initially realize how deadly their attacks were to humans when first exiting the underground, but they quickly learned to give more care when discharging magic around human populations. As it is the purest and most whole form of magic, white magic is attributed the virtue of purity.

Purity/Stagnation

Orange is the energy of momentum and inertia. This is linked to the virtue of bravery, the ability to press on despite fear. Its innate effect is one of preserving motion and conducts better through moving objects. Orange magic can be used to keep machinery and other tools running with a constant supply of energy. Mechanisms that use orange magic must first be 'jumpstarted' into motion in order for the magic to run it, and failing to jumpstart such equipment before applying the magic or stopping it abruptly can easily lead to the object being damaged. Technology used ages ago was usually powered by orange magic, but people have since switched to the more stable (though somewhat more technical) yellow magic. Orange magic is enhanced by red magic and counterbalanced by light blue magic.

Bravery, Honor, Willpower/Brashness

Light blue is the magical embodiment of friction. It resists movement and works to halt objects entirely. This magical energy is linked to the virtue of patience. In too great of quantities, it can lead to stagnation or indecisiveness, but in positive form, it is represented in prudence, discretion, and thoughtful planning. Like orange magic, light blue magic can also be boosted by red magic.

Patience, Endurance, Discretion/Sloth, Indecisiveness

(Note that "motion", as far as it relates to magic, is relative to Earth, as magic flows around and through the planet.)

Red magic has been attributed the virtue of determination largely due to the fact that it synergizes with light blue and orange magic, since determination can take the form of either the ability to push onward or to endure and remain in place. Alternatively, red magic can be associated with the virtue of valor in some cultures, with light blue representing discretion and orange being honor or willpower.

Red souls are also rather rare, especially in modern times, and it is still unclear what other innate effects red magic may have.

The only known relationship red magic has to any particular effect is that red souls tend to have much higher concentrations of DT than normal souls. While it's not known why this is true, individuals with red souls don't have any innate need for this extra DT and thus make excellent donors¹. Red magic's relationship to DT may help explain why even the magically adept society of monsters have been unable to utilize this type of magic to any meaningful degree.

As far as use of the red magic itself goes, it can be used to enhance light blue or orange magic, but devices that use such energy rarely have any use for it, as they typically require a very precise amount of power behind each burst. Spells, on the other hand, can have much greater power when boosted with red magic. For example, a slowing effect from a light blue spell can be enhanced to result in full freezing, and a wave of force spell can go from buffering a target to knocking it off its feet. This field warrants further research.

Determination, Valor/Stubbornness

Yellow magic is associated with the virtue of justice. It is related to doing what is just, lawful, and right. It's unclear why it is given this trait, but some theories suggest that it is because most common spells that used yellow magic resembled lightning in some way, and many cultures historically saw lightning strikes as a form of divine justice from the gods, striking down blasphemers and heretics. As far as effects go, yellow magic is often a stable form of energy that, unlike orange energy, can successfully power and sustain machinery long-term without needing it to be jumpstarted. Modern monster technology most frequently uses yellow energy, especially since our CORE generates yellow energy from geothermal power. Yellow magic synergizes negatively with green magic and positively with blue magic.

Justice, Duty/Tyranny, Cruelty

Green magic is associated with healing, kindness, empathy, honorable combat, and a desire to mend wounds, both physical and emotional. Green magic's innate effect is the ability to heal. Most modern paramedics know at least some green magic, but they are still required to know the same conventional procedures that were common before the reintegration of green magic into medicine. Green magic is enhanced with blue magic.

Kindness/Weakness, Feebleness

Both yellow and green magic synergize positively with blue, so blue magic is attributed the virtue of integrity. Morality is all about doing what is right and what is good, being kind when needed, but also being firm against evil and upholding justice. Beyond that, its actual innate magical effect, gravity manipulation, seems unrelated to the virtue.

Integrity/Self-righteousness

Purple magic is study and focus. This focus can help people learn, but in too high concentrations, it can cause tunnel vision or loss of peripheral senses. The single-mindedness of this has led some to attribute it the virtue of perserverence², though its use to increase focus has made it more common to associate it with wisdom. Unlike other forms of magic, purple does not synergize or counter‑balance with any other color. Because of this, it is commonly used as an auxiliary magic that won't interfere with spells or devices that use other forms of magic.

Wisdom, Focus/Myopia, Narrow-mindedness

¹DT is often used in medical operations where a soul must be sustained outside of its body for any moderate amount of time.

²When perseverance is used to represent purple magic, red magic is often given a different virtue.


End file.
